Sharjah24 - Reuters: As a legislative election came to a close on Sunday, it appeared that Tunisia would once again experience extremely low voter turnout. President Kais Saied's detractors claimed that the nearly empty voting places were a sign of public outrage over his assumption of extensive power.

The newly configured, and much less important, parliament is a central element of a political system Saied introduced last year after a July 2021 power grab that grants the presidency nearly untrammelled sway.

In the first round of voting for the parliament in December only 11% of the electorate took part, according to official data. Early turnout figures released by the electoral commission on Sunday showed little improvement.

Polls closed at 6 p.m. (1700 GMT). Electoral commission figures had indicated 7.7% turnout by 3 p.m., only slightly higher than the 7.2% registered by the same time in December's vote.

A full-day turnout figure is due later on Sunday but final results may take longer to compile. With most parties boycotting the vote, most seats are expected to go to independents.